VMRO-DPMNE is nominating local activist Marko Kolev for Mayor of Veles. Kolev has worked as director in the Vardar central planning region, and as such has implemented countless development projects across Veles and seven other municipalities.

I have worked on over 100 projects, funded by various donors, state institutions, international agencies such as UNDP, USAID, the German and Swiss development agencies.. These include projecting the Mamutcevo industrial zone, water reservoirs and roads in the Karaslari industrial zone, kindergartens and playgrounds, energy efficiency projects in schools, as well as suppling firefighting vehicles and ambulances to the city. I love what I do, and based on what I and my team have done over the past 12 years, I was encouraged to run for Mayor, Kolev said.

A big problem facing the city, which experienced rapid deindustrialization in the 1990ies and horrific levels of lead pollution, Kolev says is the lack of a general development plan.

For 16 years we’ve been without plans for building the main roads, water and sewage lines and housing. Across Europe, cities review their general plans every 10 years, and we are blocking the development of Veles without a plan. It’s a city on two hills and organizing traffic is a huge problem that needs to be resolved, Kolev added.